For every atom belonging to me, as good belongs to you
While on the surface, the poem seems to be about Walt Whitman, in this line he is making an overt statement that complicates this simple assumption. Think about it this way: When Walt Whitman reads this poem, then it is about Walt Whitman. When you read the poem, it is about you. Because, as he says here, we are all made up of the same stuff and there's nothing special about him that isn't also special about you.
This is important to understanding the rest of this poem because, at times, Whitman will seem to become a little grandiose. If you forget that this song is about you as much as it is about him, you might think he's just a guy with a very fine opinion of himself. And he is. But no finer than his opinion of everyone else, as well.
This universal love is at the heart (so to speak) of his democratic zeal. His love of America is not abstract--he literally loves America and every single person in it because he believes that America is made up of all of those people.
For every atom belonging to me, as good belongs to you
While on the surface, the poem seems to be about Walt Whitman, in this line he is making an overt statement that complicates this simple assumption. Think about it this way: When Walt Whitman reads this poem, then it is about Walt Whitman. When you read the poem, it is about you. Because, as he says here, we are all made up of the same stuff and there's nothing special about him that isn't also special about you.
This is important to understanding the rest of this poem because, at times, Whitman will seem to become a little grandiose. If you forget that this song is about you as much as it is about him, you might think he's just a guy with a very fine opinion of himself. And he is. But no finer than his opinion of everyone else, as well.
This universal love is at the heart (so to speak) of his democratic zeal. His love of America is not abstract--he literally loves America and every single person in it because he believes that America is made up of all of those people.